Welcome back to my Saturday Spotlight series! Thank you to not only the authors who have participated so far but those who are planning to in the future. Most importantly, thank you to all of my followers who read each post and follow some of these authors. As readers, our support means everything. They work so hard to put their novels into our hands, the least we can do is show support. Be sure to leave a review for each book you read, even if only a sentence long. It makes all the difference!
Today, I am happy to bring to you, Gregory Tasoulas. He initially reached out to me with a review request for his novel, but I had to turn it down for lack of time right now. I asked if he would still be interested in participating in my Saturday Spotlight and he was more than happy to! I am thankful for the chance to support him and share his work.
About the Author
Gregory’s Novels
Proving Grounds
Elmwean’s Lodge
Wildwood Wildcards
Coming This Month!
Interview
Hello Gregory, thank you for joining me today! Let’s jump right into things, shall we?
What would you say is the easiest aspect of writing? Why?
Finding the premise of each story is the easiest part for me. Ever since I was a child my mind would casually alter or edit stories which I had heard, read or seen. As I grew up, it became a habit for me to create little stories in my mind, especially in the fandoms I followed. In time these small stories came together to form a universe of their own.
That is such a wonderful tale of childhood creativity sticking with you. I always had many ideas growing up, but never thought to write them down.
How much of yourself do you put into your books?
A lot. My experiences, my views, my hobbies, my friends are all in there.
Wow, that is really cool. I have found that many authors pull from real life when creating their stories.
Have you ever destroyed any of your drafts? Do you think it is common among authors?
To be honest, no I haven’t. There are several drafts I have written and discarded, but I never destroy them as they contain ideas which might come handy later on. As for other authors, everyone is different, so I can’t be sure.
That is a wonderful idea! I love that you keep your drafts for possible future inspiration.
What is your favorite part of your most recent book?
Auburn Thorn is the main character of the book I am currently writing, the sequel to Elmwean’s Lodge. In the stories, we learn about his fixation with his earring. He is an oracle, a person with somewhat superhuman abilities who works for the military, yet he is sentimentally connected to a piece of jewelry, for it reminds him of family.
I want for my characters to have realistic lives. To be relatively easy for readers to identify with them in the manner in which they live their daily lives when they’re not galloping around the universe saving the day. And I think Auburn’s earring is a good example of that.
I really enjoy when I can connect to characters that I read about. Those that seem too unrealistic, I often lack that connection with, making it more difficult to feel invested in the story.
Tell us a little about your plans for your future. Where do you see yourself as a writer in five years?
I see myself having created a rich fictional universe with books, board games, comic books etc. Something that will bring together a community of creators, readers and gamers to enjoy science fiction and fantasy and have fun. And hopefully to be able to quit my day job in the process.
Those are some wonderful goals. I would love to see you create come comics.
What does your ideal writing time look like? Do you have a snack or drink? Are you alone or in public? Tell us a little about it.
My ideal writing time is late at night at home, with one of my cats sleeping beside me and the other sleeping next to –and hopefully not right on top of– my laptop. Since cats are in the mix, drinks and snacks are forbidden fruits.
Awe, I have two cats too. Cat snuggles are so comforting unless they are sleeping on top of the work you are trying to get done.
Do you have a library membership? What do you like most about your library?
Libraries in Greece are not exactly user-friendly, so I have come to rely on my personal collection of books and the internet. So, what I like about my library is that through all these beautiful fictional worlds I get to better understand the intricate workings of our world.
I have heard about how access to libraries is not as easily obtained in countries other than the US. I do not take for granted how lucky I am to have the luxury of free public libraries here.
Do you have any hidden or uncommon talents?
I can stay awake for 80 hours straight and still sit down and write a paragraph or two. The world becomes hazy after hour 83.
Oh my goodness! That is crazy and very precise. I could not do that, I have a 2-year-old and 7-year-old who demand too much attention from me.
What is your favorite word? Why?
Perseverance. Because it has helped me live through a lot.
What a great choice!
What advice would you give to writers who are struggling with their first novel?
Enjoy the story in your head first. If you haven’t already enjoyed it, you can’t describe it.
I never thought of it that way but it does make sense.
Thank you so much, Gregory, for taking the time to do this interview for all of your fans and readers. I look forward to seeing your work in the future.
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One thought on “Saturday Spotlight: Gregory Tasoulas”
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Another great interview thank you!
Like him I have tons of stories I live in my head but I can never get them on paper. When I sit down to write anything my mind goes blank or starts think about other things lol not very helpful.